Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin level in blood is one of the most important parameters in a CBC. Normal hemoglobin level is 13.8-17.2 grams per deciliter in adult males and 12.1-15.1 in adult females. The difference is related to the level of testosterone in males which is a stimulant for increased production of red cells as well as the chronic loss of blood in fertile females in the form of menses.
If hemoglobin level falls below 13.8 in males or 12.5 in females, it is called anemia, and anemia is not a clinical term but a laboratory one since not all anemias are symptomatic and not all normal hemoglobin levels are asymptomatic. If hemoglobin level is more than 17.2 in males or 15.1 in females, it is termed polycythemia, and polycythemia can result from natural causes such as living at high altitudes or from diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic testosterone use in athletes or from some cancers like chronic myeloid leukemia or polycythemia vera.